Chicken Saltimbocca
Chicken Saltimbocca, a version of the Roman classic that uses chicken cutlets, sage and prosciutto, pan-fried until crispy and served with the simplest white wine sauce. We serve ours with rosemary cannellini beans for a delicious and easy side.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 200kcal
Equipment
- toothpicks
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 4 slices prosciutto crudo
- 4 sage leaves plus extra for garnish if desired
- ½ cup Italian white wine such as Pinot Grigio, Vermentino or Pecorino (120ml)
- All purpose flour for dredging
- Olive oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half and pound them lightly using a rolling pin or meat mallet until they’re roughly ½cm (¼ inch) thick.
- Place one sage leaf in the centre of each cutlet then place a slice of prosciutto on top (you can fold it in half if the slice is larger than the cutlet). Secure the sage and prosciutto in place using a toothpick.
- Lightly season the plain side of each cutlet with a little salt then dredge each cutlet in a little flour, shaking off any excess just so it’s lightly coated.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan on a medium heat, once hot place the chicken in prosciutto side down and cook until crispy (about 4-5 minutes) then turn round and cook for a further 4 minutes on the other side until cooked through. You can add extra sage leaves at this point for garnish (optional).
- Remove the chicken and place on a plate. Add the wine to the pan and scrape any brown bits, simmer for around 2-3 minutes until the wine has reduced by half then add the chicken back to the pan to warm up.
- Turn off the heat and serve.
Video
Notes
- Use high-quality ingredients - use good quality free-range chicken and a good quality prosciutto for best results and flavour.
- Chicken cutlets - if you can buy chicken cutlets that's great, even less prep but if not then you can slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise and pound them with a meat mallet or rolling pin. I recommend getting large chicken breasts or cutlets if serving 4 people.
- Wine - we like to use a dry Italian white wine but use whatever you'll drink with the dish. My one rule is to not use cooking wine whatever you do!
- Sage - after years of making saltimbocca I've come to the conclusion that although it doesn't really matter, the sage leaf is better underneath the prosciutto to get the prosciutto extra crispy. It doesn't look as pretty so I sometimes fry a few extra leaves for garnish.
- Storage and freezing - because the chicken is dredged in flour it tastes its best when eaten immediately but can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- To defrost - defrost completely in the fridge then reheat until piping hot right through.
Nutrition
Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 184mg | Potassium: 436mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg